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Activists protest at McDonald’s in Williamsville

About 50 activists planned to gather outside of a Williamsville McDonald’s around noon today to protest the fast food giant’s treatment of its workers and call for fair resolution to a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former employees in Virginia.

The Coalition for Economic Justice’s protest at the Main Street restaurant was spurred by the lawsuit filed Jan. 22 by 10 former employees in Clarkesville, Va., who said they were fired because of they were black. The workers also claimed sexual harassment by managers.

The national “Fight for $15,” the movement demanding $15 an hour for fast-food workers, has brought work place abuses, such as racial discrimination and sexual harassment, to light – issues local fast-food workers are also grappling with, said Andy Reynolds, communications organizer for the coalition.